PS Vue or Sling TV

[slingkong]

I've seen a few comments about Sling having issues and Vue potentially being the better choice between the two? Anyone able to comment on reliability differences after using both services?

[warriorchick]

I've seen a few comments about Sling having issues and Vue potentially being the better choice between the two? Anyone able to comment on reliability differences after using both services?

If you don't go with Sling you are going to have to change your name to Vuekong.

[brewcity77]

Superbar

[rocky_warrior]

My personal experience from a month ago or so...

I had Comcast, Marquette was on FS2 for a game, and they don't offer FS2.  So, I signed up for free Sling TV trial right before the game.  Started streaming on my Fire TV and after a couple minutes it started stuttering, and then completely freezing the stream for  minutes at a time.  It was horrible.  Not even watchable.

So, at halftime I signed up for the free PS Vue trial.  Started streaming the 2nd half with that on the Fire TV, and it was a great picture, without a single hiccup. 

So, I immediately canceled my free Sling trial, opted to pay for the PS Vue monthly service, and eventually cancelled my Comcast video service.

PS Vue has been solid ever since.   I guess I didn't give sling much of a chance, but they didn't make a good first impression.  I should note, that I had tried sling about 18 months prior, and it worked well at that time.  Don't know what happened since (maybe capacity?)

But, I guess the moral is that all of them - PS, Sling, and DTV - offer free trials for a few days.  So sign up for the one that has the package that fits you best, and if it doesn't work out, cancel and try one of the others. 

[MU82]

My personal experience from a month ago or so...

I had Comcast, Marquette was on FS2 for a game, and they don't offer FS2.  So, I signed up for free Sling TV trial right before the game.  Started streaming on my Fire TV and after a couple minutes it started stuttering, and then completely freezing the stream for  minutes at a time.  It was horrible.  Not even watchable.

So, at halftime I signed up for the free PS Vue trial.  Started streaming the 2nd half with that on the Fire TV, and it was a great picture, without a single hiccup. 

So, I immediately canceled my free Sling trial, opted to pay for the PS Vue monthly service, and eventually cancelled my Comcast video service.

PS Vue has been solid ever since.   I guess I didn't give sling much of a chance, but they didn't make a good first impression.  I should note, that I had tried sling about 18 months prior, and it worked well at that time.  Don't know what happened since (maybe capacity?)

But, I guess the moral is that all of them - PS, Sling, and DTV - offer free trials for a few days.  So sign up for the one that has the package that fits you best, and if it doesn't work out, cancel and try one of the others.

Thanks for the good info, rocky. I am hoping to get rid of cable/DirecTV/etc within the next year or two, and this kind of info definitely helps.

[fjm]

I have Vue and love it. Has FS1 and 2. Games come in great. A few seconds behind but all is good.

[#UnleashSean]

My experience with VUE: Almost always works great, can sometimes see stuttering, but nothing to severe. DVR + remote are the top of any cable program, neither can be beat. They had a fight with Viacom and took out Comedy central, spike and Nickelodeon, but its not to bad. Customer support is great, again can't be beaten.

[MU82]

My experience with VUE: Almost always works great, can sometimes see stuttering, but nothing to severe. DVR + remote are the top of any cable program, neither can be beat. They had a fight with Viacom and took out Comedy central, spike and Nickelodeon, but its not to bad. Customer support is great, again can't be beaten.

The loss of Comedy Central would have been a dealbreaker during the Stewart/Colbert Era. I rarely watch it now.

[mu_hilltopper]

There's another thread with folks switching to PS Vue and their experiences.

I think both services are competitive, the channels and cost are similar.  I'd imagine that if you watched all channels 24/7, you'd find the network failure rates are likely similar.

What puts PS Vue WAY over the top for me is the DVR functionality.   It's not great (yet?) but it functions pretty well, being able to record shows you like to watch when you like to watch them.

[rocky_warrior]

There's another thread with folks switching to PS Vue and their experiences.

Agree - but this was supposed to compare the options.  We've got a few hundred regular users here - I'm surprised we haven't heard from SlingTV users?  Are there none?  How about DTV Now?

[MUUWUWM]

I picked up Sling 2 months ago. First couple of days it was horrible, but now seems to be working find.
PS vue that's playstation correct?..I don't have a playstation but an xbox.
Do you need playstation or is PS Vue available like Sling?

[rocky_warrior]

PS vue that's playstation correct?..I don't have a playstation but an xbox.
Do you need playstation or is PS Vue available like Sling?

Yes PS is playstation.

But Vue can be played on PCs through the browser (not Linux though), iOS and Android, Fire TVs, Roku's, Apple TVs, Chromecast, and of course PS3 and 4.

I don't think xbox is supported.

I picked up Sling 2 months ago. First couple of days it was horrible, but now seems to be working find.

That's good to hear.  I probably didn't give it a fair chance (but it did ruin one half of MU basketball!)

[MerrittsMustache]

There's another thread with folks switching to PS Vue and their experiences.

I think both services are competitive, the channels and cost are similar.  I'd imagine that if you watched all channels 24/7, you'd find the network failure rates are likely similar.

What puts PS Vue WAY over the top for me is the DVR functionality.   It's not great (yet?) but it functions pretty well, being able to record shows you like to watch when you like to watch them.

PS Vue has DVR? We tried it a while back but the lack of DVR was killing us (with 4 kids, the wife and I rarely watch live TV). Does it work with a Roku 2 or is something else necessary?

[MUUWUWM]

So PS Vue can be found on a Roku tv?

If so will have to search for it.

Ok found the channel...will look into it:)

[#UnleashSean]

PS Vue has DVR? We tried it a while back but the lack of DVR was killing us (with 4 kids, the wife and I rarely watch live TV). Does it work with a Roku 2 or is something else necessary?

Ps Vue has an unlimited DVR.

[rocky_warrior]

Does it work with a Roku 2 or is something else necessary?

So PS Vue can be found on a Roku tv?

I've not used roku at all.  There's mixed reports about how well it works on 2 and the TVs (some great, some terrible), but make sure you've got wired Ethernet or a fast wireless connection - and that's a recommendation for any service.

I've got my 1st gen Fire TV (box) with wired Ethernet and it seems to handle everything great*.

* - except for the slingtv trial

[slingkong]

Thanks all. I think I'll sign up for both and watch a half of tonight's or Sunday's game on each.

[MUUWUWM]

i have 4 roku TV's and they work great.

[avid1010]

i have the mid-grade internet from att uverse, and have no trouble streaming on vue.  i'm not seeing fox sports north...so that's an issue.  i can access it on foxsportsgo with the vue login, and it sounds like they're working to get it figured out, but that's the only disappointing thing i'm seeing right now as a i have a few fishing shows i like to dvr on that channel. 

the dvr seems a bit odd...you don't pick individual shows, but rather you seem to get all episodes of that show that are available and there's no way to really track or delete what you have watched.  its all or nothing. 

[mu_hilltopper]

As has been noted, PS Vue works on Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire, and browsers .. as well as the PS3 and PS4.

I've tried all but PS3 and 4.

The PS Vue Roku channel is basically a version 1.0 type program .. It's stripped down, no guide, etc. 

Amazon Fire and Android TV are great, though.  Solid DVR functions.  I bought a MiBox Android TV ($70 at Walmart) and it works very well and is my recommendation.

(Also .. I have a 15/1 connection .. this is plenty for 3 HD streams.)

[T-Bone]

One note about PS Vue, it isn't quite a traditional DVR.  You pick your favorite shows and then when new episodes air, they will be ready and available.  There is no "recording", but an instant access.
And you can sometimes go to shows that previously aired in the guide.
And there is about a 5 minute buffer to pause shows.

None of that really bugs me, but it was different from what I've been used to.

[rocky_warrior]

i have the mid-grade internet from att uverse, and have no trouble streaming on vue.

(Also .. I have a 15/1 connection .. this is plenty for 3 HD streams.)

Not sure if those were directed at my "wired Ethernet or a fast wireless connection" comment, but they made me think I should clarify.  I was really talking about whether you're connecting your TV/roku/fire...whatever via a wireless signal way across the house.  That could lead to less than ideal performance with any service.  So if you see that, just make sure you either hardwire or try close to your router before calling the service a bust.

[Sir Lawrence]

What are you knowledgeable gents recommending for a wireless router these days?

[Benny B]

What are you knowledgeable gents recommending for a wireless router these days?

Are you talking for streaming?  Because if you're going exclusively to streaming video, I very strongly suggest hardwiring Cat5/6 to your TV.  I'm going on 7 years of streaming video and I can say that wi-fi is the source of most bottlenecks in the system.  There's the obvious issue of putting too many wi-fi devices on a network that will slow things down, but there are also less obvious things like cordless phones, microwaves, hair dryers, etc. that will interfere with a wireless signal intermittently.

That said, if wireless is your only option, the only thing I can suggest is to get something with multiple antennas on it... if you Google "best wireless routers," you're not going to see a consensus from list to list, but what you will see is that the top 5 on any list has at least 3 and as many as 6 antennas.

[Sir Lawrence]

Thanks Benny, and yes, for streaming, and device connectivity (2 Iphones 2 Ipads, one Mac laptop .  I'm not a "gamer" nor is anyone else in my empty nest.  When I finally caved in and upgraded my I-phone software to the iOS 10.2, I frequently get a message stating that I should configure my router us use WPA2 (AES) security.  My wireless router is probably 10 years old (WPN824 Netgear - RangeMax).  My IT guy at work says its time to put a crow bar in the wallet and purchase a new one. 

[Stronghold]

For anyone "cutting the cord" so to speak, I highly recommend buying an HDTV (digital) antenna.  It is a one time cost of ~$40-80 for a decent one and will allow you to pick up all local channels in HD.  In Minneapolis, for example, I get ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX all in HD with excellent signal.  This allows me to watch Thursday and Sunday NFL games, any other sporting events that gets aired on those channels, local news/weather, and my wife watches her primetime shows on those networks.  We have been doing it for 3 years and are very happy with it.  We supplement it with other streaming services (many of which we share with other people) but to have the major networks live 24/7 is something we wanted.

[brandx]

Thanks Benny, and yes, for streaming, and device connectivity (2 Iphones 2 Ipads, one Mac laptop .  I'm not a "gamer" nor is anyone else in my empty nest.  When I finally caved in and upgraded my I-phone software to the iOS 10.2, I frequently get a message stating that I should configure my router us use WPA2 (AES) security.  My wireless router is probably 10 years old (WPN824 Netgear - RangeMax).  My IT guy at work says its time to put a crow bar in the wallet and purchase a new one.

Obviously, security is not one of your concerns.

[Benny B]

For anyone "cutting the cord" so to speak, I highly recommend buying an HDTV (digital) antenna.  It is a one time cost of ~$40-80 for a decent one and will allow you to pick up all local channels in HD.  In Minneapolis, for example, I get ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX all in HD with excellent signal.  This allows me to watch Thursday and Sunday NFL games, any other sporting events that gets aired on those channels, local news/weather, and my wife watches her primetime shows on those networks.  We have been doing it for 3 years and are very happy with it.  We supplement it with other streaming services (many of which we share with other people) but to have the major networks live 24/7 is something we wanted.

There's no such thing as an "HDTV" antenna.  An antenna is an antenna.  The technology for the "HDTV" antennas being sold in stores today is the same technology employed by the VHF/UHF equipment you could have bought 20 years ago.

[Sir Lawrence]

Obviously, security is not one of your concerns.

Well, I reckon it is now.  So, which one should I get? 

[brandx]

Well, I reckon it is now.  So, which one should I get?

Just about any of the new ones are good.

Plus, you'll get a lot better speed as well.

[Jams]

For anyone "cutting the cord" so to speak, I highly recommend buying an HDTV (digital) antenna.  It is a one time cost of ~$40-80 for a decent one and will allow you to pick up all local channels in HD.  In Minneapolis, for example, I get ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX all in HD with excellent signal.  This allows me to watch Thursday and Sunday NFL games, any other sporting events that gets aired on those channels, local news/weather, and my wife watches her primetime shows on those networks.  We have been doing it for 3 years and are very happy with it.  We supplement it with other streaming services (many of which we share with other people) but to have the major networks live 24/7 is something we wanted.

Just a word of caution on this one.  Do your homework.  Where you live greatly matters.  Down to the structure of your home (ranch vs two story).  In some markets, the stations are all clustered to one tower, or two towers.  Other markets, they are all over the place. 

See these examples. Major differences based on distribution of towers.

Milwaukee   http://cm.antennaweb.titantv.com/Widget/?token=MTIwMCBXLiBXaXNjb25zaW4gQXZlfDUzMjMz

Los Angeles example   http://cm.antennaweb.titantv.com/Widget/?token=MTUwMCBtYWluIHN0cmVldHw5MDI0NQ==


Where you live, how far you live from towers will determine what kind of antenna to get.... Directional, Multi-Directional or Omni Directional antenna. 

Two sites I would recommend if people are interested, you simply have to put in your street address and zip, that will give you a prediction level of what channels you can receive and what type of antenna is needed.

https://www.antennaweb.org/Address

http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna-Selection-a/134.htm&Click=47329


Good luck

[mu_hilltopper]

Sir Larry-

I'd recommend one of these .. Under $90 .. newest protocol (802.11ac) so you are future proofed for 5-10 years.

http://a.co/3AhTngF

http://a.co/22PGK9m

Both of them are great choices .. I think the Linksys is a bit more geared for the less technically inclined, so that's my recommendation for you.

[rocky_warrior]

Well, I reckon it is now.  So, which one should I get?

Well, Topper's got some good recommendations.  For standalone routers the TP-Link Archer C7 is a great choice too (under $100).

If you've got a larger house, and bunch of devices though, I would go with one of the new mesh solutions.  Here's an article that covers a bunch of good details about those:
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-mesh-networking-kits/

But yes, you need to ditch that old thing. 

[Sir Lawrence]

Thanks guys!

[Stronghold]

There's no such thing as an "HDTV" antenna.  An antenna is an antenna.  The technology for the "HDTV" antennas being sold in stores today is the same technology employed by the VHF/UHF equipment you could have bought 20 years ago.

Didn't realize that but good to know.  All I know is I get HD channels with it so I'm happy.

[Stronghold]

Just a word of caution on this one.  Do your homework.  Where you live greatly matters.  Down to the structure of your home (ranch vs two story).  In some markets, the stations are all clustered to one tower, or two towers.  Other markets, they are all over the place. 

See these examples. Major differences based on distribution of towers.

Milwaukee   http://cm.antennaweb.titantv.com/Widget/?token=MTIwMCBXLiBXaXNjb25zaW4gQXZlfDUzMjMz

Los Angeles example   http://cm.antennaweb.titantv.com/Widget/?token=MTUwMCBtYWluIHN0cmVldHw5MDI0NQ==


Where you live, how far you live from towers will determine what kind of antenna to get.... Directional, Multi-Directional or Omni Directional antenna. 

Two sites I would recommend if people are interested, you simply have to put in your street address and zip, that will give you a prediction level of what channels you can receive and what type of antenna is needed.

https://www.antennaweb.org/Address

http://www.channelmaster.com/Antenna-Selection-a/134.htm&Click=47329


Good luck

Thanks for the info. I've only ever used mine in Milwaukee and Minneapolis which are obviously large markets.  That site that predicts your available channels would be nice for people living in more rural areas.

[Jams]

Thanks for the info. I've only ever used mine in Milwaukee and Minneapolis which are obviously large markets.  That site that predicts your available channels would be nice for people living in more rural areas.

I don't know, I think Los Angeles is a pretty big market and not so rural.    

The key is where are the tower from where you live.  In Milwaukee, all are in one location.  In Minneapolis, there are three locations, but two are very closely clustered together.  The other consideration is how much one cares about some of the secondary or tertiary channels that may be harder to pick up.